A Modern World (AMW) is a NationStates roleplaying community created when a number of players, dissatisfied with the billion-person populations and fluid geography that characterized a lot of NS roleplay, came together to try something different: a more realistic world. A world where political maneuvers and trade negotiations were more common than total wars, where players could look at a map and know where a country’s mountains and resources were located, where the cultures of states and relationships between them could be developed over the long term.

A Modern World was the result.

Of course, now that we have your attention, AMW is much more than that. It's complete with in-depth history, colorful and well-developed characters, a place where realism combines with fantasy to make a world uniquely different from our very own--even if many others think AMW is just an alternate reality group.

But are we an alternate reality RP group?

Certainly we do base some things in reality. In fact, if you took a look around NS, you'd see others taking pages from the annals of history and weaving them into the tapestry of their nation. So, what does AMW take from reality?

Geography: We use real life (RL) Earth geography. That means that natural resources, climate, topography, etc.. are all based on which part of the world you call home.

Population: Instead of a population matrix, we use real populations. This is directly tied into your geographic claim. If you pick, for instance, Pennsylvania, then your AMW nation would have the same population that Pennsylvania has in real life (IRL).

Technology: Modern is our middle name, and, as such, we are a modern tech RP group. Simply put, that means that anything available in the real world may be available in AMW. Talking bears (stuffed or otherwise), Starships and phasers locked on stun, fairies, sparkly vampires, orcs, witches, time machines, sonic screwdrivers, etc... are not permitted in AMW.

Outside of these general guidelines, you are welcomed--and invited--to be as creative as you wish. Our members pride themselves on creative cultures such as, for example, a unique Drapoel culture in Southeast Asia and a nation of Celts in the Eastern Europe.

Think you're not the greatest writer? Is English a secondary language for you? Unsure of how the military works, or how to put together an economy? Worried that your history may not mesh with the collective history of AMW? Don't worry! AMW works together as a group to help its members achieve their goals! We're a tight-knit community that is always willing to lend a hand, offer advice, and share our knowledge!

Have any more question? Ask us! Feel free to leave a question in our Big Discussion Thread, or, if you're feeling froggy, pop on into our IRC room at irc.esper.net and our room is #AMW (Where you can usually find a few of us hanging out).

Think AMW is right for you? Have an idea already? Then please feel free to apply! There's no formal application, but we do ask that you give us at least a paragraph on each of the following topics: Government, History, Economy, Culture, Military. This way we can get a better understanding of your vision and how it can work in AMW!

Don't fret if your application doesn't gain approval in less than 30 minutes. Our members like to read the entire application before they start to comment. We like to hear from as many members as possible before acceptance is gained thus allowing our members the ability to fully digest the application.

We look forward to meeting you!

It ought be noted that A Modern World is not a pick-up-and-play group... AMW threads are closed to non-members.

A list of claims and our map can be found in the next post.

Useful Links

AMW Big Discussion Thread: A hefty thread here on the NS forums, which can be used for general questions, comments, and out-of-character discussion.

A Modern World (region): An NS region for AMW nations, for easier communication and to compare (irrelevant-to-AMW) World Census rankings. Joining is not mandatory for membership... a number of members aren’t present in the region, and a few non-members reside there as well.

AMW Off-Site Forum: A non-NS forum which some of us use to post factbooks, discuss possible RPs, engage in out-of-character banter and witty repartee, etc. As with the region, membership in the forum is useful but not mandatory... you could carry out all needed discussions on NS via regular posts and telegrams without much trouble.

IRC: For those craving instant gratification, AMW maintains an IRC channel (#amw on Esper.net) for chat and discussion. Information on connecting to it can be found here.

Example Application: A good example of what we're looking for - you don't need to quite write that much, but this is generally what we're looking for.

This list supersedes the map in case of a discrepancy between them. Nations are organized according to the location of their political capital in the event of a multi-continental or globe-spanning claim. While every action has been taken to ensure the claims are listed as perfectly as possible, we are human beings that do, from time to time, make mistakes. If there are any questions, feel free to post in our AMW Big Discussion Thread! Pending claims are written in on this list in orange italics. Claims pending removal are written in purple italics. If a claim is made on this thread that is not located in here, it is still claimed for the purposes of our applications process until rejected or accepted by the group.

(including Central America and the Caribbean):

AMERICA (Amerique): US States of Maine, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri north of the Missouri River; Hawaii; French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Martin, US Virgin Islands, Suriname; Phucket (part of Thailand); the Azores; Most of Canada

So I hear on the grapevine that most of Africa has been allowed to become over-run with dragons, or something like that?

Tempted as I always am to restore the old UARL, I suspect that it'd run out of steam after the initial spurt of enthusiasm. I'm turning over in my mind some incomplete ideas about a partially related nation in a near-by part of Africa, perhaps switching from vast territory and scant population to the inverse, and from unity of republics to the opposite.

Half-baked though it may be, what I'm thinking of is Rwanda and Burundi (~22.25m people) as the home of the Lusakans -Mr. Derek, Miyanda, Olongwe, Sinkala, Tendyala, and the rest-, a nation divided between two governments, north and south. In the old days, Lusaka generally had unity and Papa had to struggle against forces of upheaval and external threats. This time I'm thinking of disunity as the status quo, and the big man trying to force a reconstruction of a perhaps romanticised union, while external actors back one faction/aim or another.

I imagine there having been a small number of petty kingdoms in the region in the bronze or iron age in Central/East Africa, ethnically and culturally closely linked, with one or two eventually coming to dominate. They have a fairly effective state apparatus for societies at their technological level, with reasonably efficient models of farming, trade, and taxation, and the ability to raise organised armies when the need arises. But they're fairly small, landlocked, and faced with not inconsiderable environmental challenges to rapid progress, not to mention probably centuries of having fought one another, and so remain oblivious to the industrial revolution as it unfolds abroad, though their land management, metal working, animal husbandry, literacy, masonry, and other knowledge continues to gradually evolve.

Then the details become a little less clear.

Whether the two modern parts of the country are divided simply by politics or also by religion and/or language I'm not yet sure, but the latter possibility would most likely stem either from colonialism or missionary work, if not both. Obviously going with a landlocked territory could complicate the telling of the story while adjacent, littoral plots remain vacant, but I don't think that necessarily has to be a barrier to creativity. Should it be that the Lusakan lands were divided between [Byzantium and Valendia, Walmington and Amerique, or whoever else]? That missionaries had success in the north while tradition held on in the south, or that Protestants went this way and Catholics that? These things are yet to settle in my mind.

The end result would be a North Lusaka and South Lusaka (or something more creative for one or both, I haven't quite decided), Derek Igomo probably heading one of them. Whether Derek would lead a republic facing a kingdom claiming descent from pre-colonial royalty, an African Socialist state facing a conservative western-style republic or monarchy, or something besides, is also unsettled, but you probably see the general lines along which I'm working, here.

So not quite an application, yet, but this is what I've been thinking about. Any comments? Or would it all be best in the discussion thread?

Oh, and hello again, to those I've not yet been back in touch with, and just hello, to the rest.

([Edit] Oh no! I don't think I like how the Lusakan flag looks on the forums, now. Important.)

Last edited by Lusaka on Fri Nov 30, 2012 8:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

The best place for a discussion is the discussion thread. But, hoping that there really isn't any discussion and that we can just go ahead and say yes now. Cause, really, I don't worry about people with reputations like yours. Whatever you concoct is a yes from me!

Nation Name: The Kingdom of CouncordiaPopulation: (depends on area, right?)Languages: Latin, German, EnglishIdeal location: Somewhere in the Alps. Central Europe would be nice. I understand Switzerland is already taken. Government: Coucordia is a Constitutional monarchy. The Sautter dynasty has beneficently ruled the country since the War of Liberation in 1500. The Parliament Abgeordnetenhaus is officially charged with passing laws, levying taxes, and representing the needs of the people to the King, while the monarchy takes on more executive roles such as waging war, managing the armed forces (through a series of intermediate bureaucracies), and appointing the High Justices to the country's judiciary.

History: the region that is now Councordia was populated by Germanic and Nordic tribes for most of its early history. Intertribal warfare between the four most powerful tribes, the Helvetii, the Regii, the Iunii and the Teutonii was rife. Roman (?) occupation had a unifying and civilizing influence on the nation, and it became part of the Holy Roman Empire after the fall of the Roman empire. The Reformation, however, spread Lutheranism through Councordia like wildfire, and the noble houses resisted Catholic and Imperial attempts to root out the 'heresy'. This led to the War of Liberation, in which Councordian interests finally triumphed, and the House Sautter took the throne in the newly founded city of Konigsberg.

Culture: Councordian culture is deeply religious, fiercely independent, and very egalitarian. The monarchy is respected and loved, but outward signs of obeisance are rare. Indeed, the only symbol of royalty adopted by the monarchy is a slim golden circlet. Lutheranism is an essential part of Councordian identity, although it has avoided the stagnation that often accompanies such status. Councordians are family-oriented, and heads of households are expected to provide for their own, remain married, employed, and working. Welfare programs do exist for legitimate need, but 'freeloaders' are culturally unacceptable and very stigmatized. Outdoor activity, especially the biathlon (skiing and shooting) is a hallmark of Councordian lifestyle, both for city dwellers and country dwellers.

Economy: The Councordian economy centers around mining, which is conducted with environmental concerns very much in mind, and the production and exportation of military technologies, especially in aviation. Ranching and farming in Councordia make it nearly self-sufficient, but the nation does import fossil fuel and some foodstuffs.

Military: The Councordian military prides itself on its special operations groups and its state-of-the-art airforce. Uniquely, the airforce deploys the Adler SWJC (Swivel-wing Jet-craft) as its workhorse for transport, strikes, and combat. (see factbook) The Mountaineers are the hallmark special operations group, trained in survival, wilderness and mountain combat, sabotage, and infiltration. All male Councordians must perform a year of service in the military upon turning 18. They are expected to maintain their service rifle upon the end of their term, and will train once every three years until their fiftieth birthday.

Well, for starters, yes, your population does directly depend on your location. However, roughly what you're looking for in terms of open land is available. Northern Italy and a portion of Austria and Switzerland (possibly a small portion of Germany). And, there isn't a past-tense Roman Empire, there is a very real present-tense Roman Empire (myself being the player playing the Western Roman Empire).

Now, as to your history, there never was a Holy Roman Empire (unless you wan to start one in your own claim). And, as far as Celtic Tribes and Germanic Tribes, the respective players for those two nations (Beddgelert and Nibelunc) can chime in on all of that chat.

Not certain how much mining is going on IRL in the areas that you might occupy, but, most of the Italian Military kit is produced outside of my claim (with my portion of Italy extending as far north as emilia romagna and Tuscany.)

Overall, I'm pretty okay with your application as it is. I suppose that it's a good thing I left all that open land because we now have a potential claim! YAY! A neighbor! However, just a note, your NS nation and your AMW nation don't have to be the same if you don't wish them so to be. You can be one thing in AMW, another on NS (like I'm a Western Roman Empire here on AMW, and, on NS, on those really rare occasions that I play outside of AMW, I'm a tropical island-continent).

Looks good so far. If you're looking for something in the Alps, the land that's free is Bavaria south of the Danube (so it includes Munich and whatever comes with Munich, such as BMW and the like), Austria and Northern Italy. As far as the military goes, we tend to just use existing real-world tech from within our claims, with occasional borrowing or buying from each other. Within such a claim, your main kit would probably be Austrian and Italian, which means small arms like the Glock pistol, Steyr AUG assault rifle, Steyr HS .50 and Beretta are yours along with vehicles like the Ariete main battle tank, Kürassier tank destroyer, Pandur APC, so you have quite the selection. Feel free to rename them, of course. I don't know how our tech experts would feel about the Adler, but your claim does encompass Agusta for transport and attack helicopters and jets can be bought off anyone with permission.

Considering it's a small and elite army you're looking for, though, you're not asking for much.

Aside from that, I don't see any objections.

Last edited by Amerique on Tue Dec 11, 2012 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I can edit that they broke with the Western Roman Empire over the Reformation, and managed to hold their own. Is there a map for this group, or is it name and claim?

Also, I do have certain weapons that were made for my forces by Nordica Arms (ok, for a different puppet nation that died horribly because it was lame) and I would like to use them, unless that bothers y'all. Essentially straight-pull bolt actions for marksmen and a compact bullpup .308 rifle for a battle rifle. As to the Adler, I can see how that might be a problem. However, there aren't that many of them, they are the primary aircraft, and in a straight-up fight against dedicated air-to-air fighters, they would lose completely. I can also play with their capabilities.

First off, hello! It's always nice to have new people interested, and I hope we can make this work for all concerned.

If you end up joining in the territory you're interested in, I'll be one of your neighbours to the east. Fifty-odd million Celts descended from the Gauls who invaded the Saimonas (IRL Balkans, but in AMW we don't call it that, because Balkan is of Turkish origin, and the Turks never made it there in AMW) in the iron age, coming down from Central Europe. So, possibly, if you end up joining, my people may trace their origins to part of your country in the third or fourth century BCE Of course if you refer to the Helvetii as Germanic or Nordic, the Celts of the Saimonas might get all... uptight.

Broadly speaking, I'm with what Amerique and Chrin have already said (though on Chrin's comments, I think all of Switzerland is claimed, and it's actually quite a lot of Austria and Germany that's available along with northern Italy). Mod's quite right that AMW and the rest of NS are separate... you can continue to play outside AMW if you like, but nothing that happens there has any impact in AMW, and so far as AMW is concerned, none of the nations out there exist at all.

As to the small-arms you describe, I don't really see a problem. Mostly we do use real-life equipment, simply because it's easier to know its true capabilities, but so long as these fictional weapons are in-line with real fire-arms there's no huge problem. The Adler is kinda iffy, in my humble opinion. Technically, so far as I can see, it would be possible, but... it doesn't seem to make much sense, and I'd wonder how/why it ever got made. Certainly in role-play I/my nation would treat it as a great folly by your nation, and I doubt you'd ever manage to export a single one unless the company bribed a foreign politician to approve the deal, a la BAe in Saudi Arabia. As a transport, it must cost tens of times more than conventional transport planes, and be much more demanding to fly and to maintain, while only being capable of carrying smaller payloads. As a fighter, from what I can see, it would be clumsy compared to even an old MiG-21 (J-21 in AMW, I think), and doesn't appear to have space for any significant sensors, so would probably be shot down by an aircraft twice its age and a tenth its price.I'd say we could probably accept it in AMW, on the understanding that it's a terrible idea (Again, just my opinion, I'm only one player. And one particular item of contentious military technology probably isn't going to change much re. your application, honestly.)

Well, this isn't going anywhere, I'm clearly much too distracted to be writing this post right now! Anyway, looks promising.

It was basically based off the vehicle in The Avengers. I'm not a techy, but I thought it was pretty cool. Plus, I'm not much of a plane guy. So, yeah. I can have it for NS, and change things up for AWM, or make it experimental.

I've got it. The Austrian and Northern Italian Alps

Last edited by Councordia on Tue Dec 11, 2012 5:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

So, I wish I had more specific things on which to comment, but it seems to have been pretty well handled by BG, Chrin, and Mod. So, uh, I suppose I'll just add myself to the voices saying 'promising!' and let you all carry on!

Iansisle wrote:So, I wish I had more specific things on which to comment, but it seems to have been pretty well handled by BG, Chrin, and Mod. So, uh, I suppose I'll just add myself to the voices saying 'promising!' and let you all carry on!

Yeah, I think at this point (barring major protest from Cassanos or Europe-Prussia, which is unlikely in the extreme) you're in. I'd say register for the offsite, take a good look at the map, decide what you'd like to claim, and toss a factbook up.

AFAIK, the free areas are Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Lombardy, Liguria, Piemonte, Trentino-Alto Adige, Valle d'Aosta, and Veneto; Austria south of the Danube, Germany south of the Danube (most of Upper Bavaria), and Liechtenstein. So, will you be taking all of them or just a part of it? *goes back to map coloring*

Councordia wrote:All of available Austria,and Liechtenstein and a small bit of Southern Germany, mostly the hilly/mountainous bits. Looking for 7-10 million people populationwise.

If that is so, Liechtenstein, Austria south of the Danube, and Bavaria south of the Danube would amount to 13,999,037 people in 103,180 square kilometers, which includes Augsburg, Munich, and Landshut. If you want the more complete breakdown, PM me at the forum.

Now, unless Councordia decided to claim the rest of Northern Italy, I propose expanding the borders of the WRE to encompass the remaining areas. As far as the military technology that Italy, well, I'm pretty set on Spanish kit. That, and, just in case something should change, I'd not want to write all that into my factbook only to have to remove it later on. Of course, such an expansion would increase population, so any necessary economic adjustments would be made.